Sure, Rutten may go off on his own tangents and botch a fighter’s name every now and again, but at least he isn’t force-feeding hackneyed catchphrases like “Goodnight Irene!” or “There is a cut on my anus” down our throats. And even if he was, Rutten’s a goddamn legend and one of the funniest sumbitches to ever strap on the 4 oz. gloves, so he’s earned the right to flub a line every now and again. I watch his street defense videos at least once a week, not just because they offer more plausible self-defense options than, say, smearing shit on yourself to prevent rape, but because they are good for a laugh every. single. time.

In any case, Rutten has decided to upload 1 fight from his illustrious 31 fight career to Youtube each day for the next month, along with his own commentary. From his early days in Pancrase to his brief run as UFC Heavyweight Champion to that time he fought Ruben Villareal for the title of “King of the Streets,” the fights themselves are sure to be only overshadowed by Rutten’s always insightful and hysterical commentary.

We’ve compiled all the videos that Rutten has released so far (along with a couple of our personal favorites) after the jump, so check them out and bask in the greatness of “El Guapo.”

Since our Throwback Thursday series is focusing on the ’90sthis month, we decided to look back at an important (but mostly forgotten) promotion that was running no-holds-barred fights back then — the International Vale Tudo Championship.

Launched in Brazil in 1997, the IVC was like a grittier, nastier version of the UFC, featuring legal head-butts and groin-strikes, 30-minute marathon brawls, and a ring instead of a cage. It was old-school and ugly, just the way we liked it.

And now, through the magic of YouTube, it’s time to revisit those days. Here are 15 of our all-time favorite fights from the IVC’s first ten events, in loose chronological order. Enjoy.

But while the UFC 9 main event was completely forgettable, one of its supporting bouts remains a part of combat-sports mythology: The unexpected appearance of Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz, and his sole MMA fight against Gary Goodridge.

We’ve already told you about Schultz’s backstory — his incredible success in freestyle wrestling, his gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the murder of his older brother Dave Schultz, which forms the basis for the upcoming movie Foxcatcher. So how did Mark wind up in the cage that night in May 1996?

Sometime after the UFC’s debut in 1993, Schultz became interested in the new sport and began studying jiu-jitsu under Pedro Sauer in Utah. By 1996, Schultz was working with Canadian UFC old-schooler Dave Beneteau, helping to prepare Beneteau for a slated bout against Gary Goodridge at UFC 9. Less than a month before the event, Beneteau broke his hand. Figuring he could compete despite the injury, Beneteau decided to train through it — but plans changed at the last minute. Here’s what happened, according to a profile on Schultz that was published after the event:

(Marco Ruas and Paul Varelans: When men were men, knuckles were bare, and wearing a singlet was totally acceptable.)

As thrilling as the UFC can be in the 21st century — with its well-rounded, well-conditioned fighters and deep talent pools — there’s something special about the Wild West days of the 1990s. Back then, the UFC featured a motley crew of martial artists of varying skill levels, some of whom didn’t really look like professional athletes. This was the era of single-night tournaments, non-existent weight classes, and burping into microphones. It’s hard not to miss those days.

Today we pay tribute to the old-school with some of our favorite rare and classic UFC photos from the ’90s. Check ‘em out in the gallery after the jump, and if we’ve left out any of your favorites, let us know in the comments section or on twitter.

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their greatest defining moments. This week, we look back at the night Nate Marquardt ended Demian Maia’s undefeated MMA career in emphatic fashion ahead of his do-or-die fight against James Te Huna at Fight Night 43 this weekend.

Despite being brutally knocked out twice in 3 minutes or less since returning to the UFC, former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt will be headlining the Fight Pass card (Fight Night 43) of this weekend’s Fight Night doubleheader. Paired against yet another knockout artist in James Te Huna, Marquardt will need to show some flashes of his old self if he is to defeat the game New Zealander and remain employed with the UFC.

Prior to his past two contests, however, Marquardt had only been stopped once by strikes in some 45 fights, and had actually been building a reputation as a rather fierce striker in his own right with his wins over Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia. Of course, it was his 21-second whoopin’ of the then undefeated Jiu-Jitsu master Demian Maia at UFC 102 that truly opened our eyes to the destructive power “The Great” possessed when he was on his game.

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their greatest defining moments. This week, we recollect Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson ahead of the former’s clash with Brendan Schaub this Saturday.

UFC 174: Dagestani Revolution marks the glorious (and somewhat unexpected) promotional return of former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. I could literally not be more excited. Also nervous, but mostly excited.

I imagine that I’m not alone in this feeling, as Arlovski has become one of those fighters who it seems harder and harder to root against these days. He’s seen somedecent highs and the lowest of lows in the six years since we last saw him stomp out Jake O’Brien at UFC 82. I bet you thought I was going to link to the Fedor knockout in the “lowest of lows”, didn’t you? The Brett Rogers one, maybe? My hyperlink-based wit will not be contained.

But oh yes, Arlovski. Scheduled to face Brendan Schaub in a featured bout this weekend, Arlovksi is once again having to defend the absurd notion that he lacks a chin, because if Court McGee’s heroin overdose has taught us anything, it’s that most MMA journalists are unoriginal hacks content to repeat the same tired cliches and dusty anecdotes ad nauseum until they are eroded of all meaning. Stand and bang, you guys. Stand and bang.

Regardless, if Arlvoski fighting Anthony Johnson for two rounds with a broken jaw didn’t convince you that he does in fact have a chin at the end of his face, then perhaps we should go back a bit further…to the night when Arlovski traded hands with Roy Nelson and came out the conscious one, blowing everyone’s minds through the back of their goddamn cornholes in the process.

(Henderson and Cerrone clash for the first time at WEC 43. Photo via Getty.)

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC event by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our second edition, we focus on Ben Henderson’s last fight to end in a finish ahead of his Fight Night 42 main event clash with Rustam Khabilov this weekend.

Contrary to what he might tell you, former lightweight champion Ben Henderson does not actually finish fights. At least, not since making the leap from the WEC to the UFC back in April of 2010. Prior to his 9 fight, 8 decision run in the UFC, however, Henderson was a finishing machine, picking up submission victories over the likes of Jamie Varner and Anthony Njokuani and even a quick TKO over Shane Roller while making his name under the WEC banner.

This might be hard to believe, but back at WEC 43, Henderson actually captured the promotion’s interim lightweight championship via a controversial unanimous decision over Cerrone (pictured above) that both fans and many media members felt should have gone the other way. I know right? Crazy times, those were.

Anyway, Cerrone would score a third round rear-naked choke over Ed Ratcliff in his rebound fight at WEC 45, and Henderson would unify the belts with a third round sub of his own over Jamie Varner at WEC 46, thusly setting up the epic rematch that fans had been begging for at WEC 48. You hear that, Jon Jones? THAT IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK.

Join us as we look back at Henderson vs. Cerrone 2, complete with a full fight video, after the jump.

Throwback Thursday is a new recurring column that pays tribute to the stars of an upcoming UFC PPV by taking a look back at some of their earliest defining moments. For our inaugural edition, we focus on Dan Henderson’s middleweight tournament-winning effort at UFC 17 (in his promotional debut, no less) ahead of his UFC 173 co-main event clash with Daniel Cormier this weekend.

What can be said about Dan Henderson that hasn’t already been said about Bill Brasky, or Chuck Norris? A poor way to start a retrospective, I know, but the fact is, the inventor and sole proprietor of the “H-Bomb” has one of the most well-documented yet somehow mythologized careers in MMA. From his back-to-back Olympic runs in ’92 and ’96 to his reign as the one and only concurrent double-title holder in PRIDE, everything about Dan Henderson is simply, legendary. He’s a credit to mixed martial arts, the human race, and perhaps most importantly, ‘Murica. Dan Henderson could kick a bald eagle in its little bird balls while waving a burning flag atop Mt. Rushmore and receive a Good Samaritan Award for doing so.

But every legend has to have an origin story, and for Henderson, it was the night he took out Alan Goes and Carlos Newton in back-to-back fights to win the UFC Middleweight Tournament at UFC 17: Redemption.

Relive Hendo’s epic one-night performance, complete with full videos of both fights, after the jump.